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Most conventional marketing wisdom emphasizes the importance of
setting goals for your business and working tire-lessly toward
them. However, it's sometimes just as important to change
course when opportunities arise.

Stephanie West, owner of marketing and graphic design firm, West
+ Associa-tes, found that after 20 years, her McLean, Virginia,
firm had developed cyclical workload syndrome. A high volume of
product launches, special promotions and other short-term gigs
meant her staff experienced a series of crunch times followed by
slow periods.

West craved more of the steady workload--and cash flow--she
found in the publication side of her business. So she and her team
decided to reinvent the wheel and launched West-bound Publications
in 1996. Since then, the company has doubled its staff and landed
nearly a dozen publications for companies like Bell Atlantic,
Fannie Mae and the American Chemical Society.

"By creating a new company that focused on our target area
[which is high-tech and telecom companies], we could show customers
we were committed to that business," ex-plains West, 45.
"We were also able to use our marketing experience to bring
more to the table for potential new clients."

Thinking of reinventing your company? West has some advice:

1. Go with what you know. Use the expertise you're
already selling to help you figure out the next opportunity instead
of venturing into an area that's entirely unfamiliar to
you.

2. Don't get stuck in a rut. You now have the chance
to build your business over again--using the knowledge you gained
from all the mistakes you made the first time around.

3. Courage counts. Being brave while trying something new
also includes being able to admit when it's not working.
Don't get discouraged. Keep trying until something works.

Remember that reinventing your business is similar to starting a
new business: You should make sure you have sufficient resources to
support the fledgling company until it's ready to fly.